Thought I might add that probably Freescale's problem is that they produce a 1000 varieties for every possible market niche early on, and if you don't pick the recommended part that some automotive volume user has chosen, within a year or 2 it's deleted. With the MC68340->MC68341 we ended up using the MC68360 that was used in communication infrastructure and were assured 8 years of production.

Most other manufacturers develop parts based on market trends in key market segments and so have less pressure to cull.

Yeah I know what you mean, the difference here was that they were new or recommended parts :-(

There's a great part that I used in a couple of projects back in the dim dark ages that I used to like called ICL8038. It was a square wave, triangle/sawtooth and sinewave generator with a sweep pin. I think it was used in every function generator of the time and it's gone EOL in the last couple of years so I bought 50 off eBay so I can spend my twilight years in nostalgia :-)

No -- I think I get the idea -- I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been for you.

I know this isn't related, but it reminds me of projects in electronic hobby magazines -- many are constructed using whatever components happen to be in the author's "treasure chest of parts" -- with the result that no one else can find the (now-discontinued) parts.

1. I designed a computer based on the all new MC68HC11E0 because they told me it was a new part that was a favoured line so I did the design and 6 months later the price went up. A further 6 months later it went EOL

2. I designed a system that used the MC68340 and 8 months into the development were told to switch to the MC68341 because that was going to be the mainstay in that line and after all of the drivers were rewritten and we had done the first pilot run they discontinued that one.

3. I designed an automotive product based on the MC68HC05K1 and 2 years later it was discontinued.

4. I designed a telephony line I/F based on the MC68HC05G2 and 2 years into the product run it was discontinued.

Need I add more?

In contrast I designed a small controller based on a PIC12C508 and now 15 years later I can still buy it.

I have a few dozen designs based on various Atmel parts and 10 years on the parts are still available or a pin AND SW compatible alternative is available